Did you think you were wishing upon a falling star Wednesday night? Sorry, it was just burning space debris.

What many people saw was the beginning of a minor meteor shower, named after the constellation Bootes, according to Ron DiIulio, director of the University of North Texas' astronomy lab program.

What's causing this meteor shower? The Earth is passing through the tail of a comet.

"It's like going through an oil streak left by the comet," he said.

Wednesday's show was just the beginning. It will last until June 27, peaking about next Wednesday.

Look due south after midnight. The shower moves from west to east.

In 2004, the same shower yielded 20 to 50 of the streaks an hour, and the disintegrating debris will be easier to see as the sky darkens with tonight's new moon.